Heroes
by Shining Zephyr
Summary: A simple murder investigation turns into a strange supernatural undertaking when Horatio and the others touch a piece of evidence that gives them elemental powers no one dreamed of... first in a series.
1. Brush of Darkness

**_A/N:_ Oh, good. I've always wanted to do this thing where something happens to the one the hero loves, and everything goes downhill unless he saves her. Well, it's a similar thing. With one exception of throwing in the supernatural thing…**

**_DISCLAIMER:_ I don't own CSI: Miami. If I did, I'd be really rich…

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1. Brush of Darkness

Miami, Florida. Whenever people think of the Sunshine State, they think of the beach, friendly people willing to help with anything, and a huge metropolitan city with work for a great many people.

Lieutenant Horatio Caine knows a lot better. He realizes that Miami is a completely different place inside the city than one will ever know by its outer appearance. He wishes he could tell others about the new terror that was unleashed some time ago. He sometimes wishes he could undo the event that was caused by a simple glass in a victim's hand.

He wishes sometimes he didn't hold the power to control water in his blood.

The chemical, the epic battle for Miami, Calleigh…

All of this started with a simple homicide investigation that turned into some sort of nightmare…

…**ONE WEEK AGO**…

"Frank?"

A young woman lay on the ground at Horatio's feet, a blood pool under her body. There appeared to be multiple knife wounds on her arms, torso, and neck. She appeared to be holding some sort of glass with a strange liquid coating the outside of it- a clear blue.

"Erin Haymaker, 27 years old. Looks to be an attempted attack turned into a killing. Haven't seen one of these in a long time, though."

Horatio bent down to examine the glass Erin was holding. "Whatever was inside of this must've been pretty important if she was holding this during her death." He pried open her fingers with gloves on and took the glass, examining it closely. "It's got a weird liquid on it."

Tripp's eyes widened. "Um, Horatio?"

"What?" He blinked. "You look like you've might've seen a ghost."

"Look at you hands."

He sighed and looked down at the glass. He gasped. It was now glowing a strange blue- as were his hands. A strange sensation began to flow through his body- warmth. Not only that, but he was beginning to feel something on his hands. It was rather slippery, like residue coming off the glass itself. Considering the fact he was wearing evidence gloves, Horatio was actually a little spooked. He glanced at Frank. "Don't touch this thing," he instructed. "Get everyone to this scene right now."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Ryan Wolfe and Calleigh Duquesne glanced around inside the house. Ryan whistled softly. "At least she died in a beautiful house."

Calleigh simply raised an eyebrow. She saw where Alexx Woods, the Chief Medical Examiner, was checking over the body and walked over to check out the victim. "She looks like she took quite a severe death blow."

"Poor baby got so many knife wounds, she practically bled to death."

Ryan examined her as well. "Could the killer have possibly slashed through an artery?"

She nodded. "Yep. Look at this." She pushed back Erin's hair and pointed to a small incision in her neck.

Calleigh began to snap pictures around the house and spotted the glass that Horatio was holding only minutes ago. She picked it up, and it began to glow a golden yellow. Not only this, but she was also beginning to feel the same sensation that Horatio felt when he held the glass. She glanced over at Ryan. "Hey, Ryan."

He got and looked over at her. He blinked. "Is my eye acting up, or is that glass glowing yellow?"

Calleigh put it down, causing Ryan to become intrigued and picking up the glass as well. Now it was glowing white. He frowned. "Magic?"

Calleigh shrugged. "Dunno. All I see is a really funky piece of evidence in a girl's murder that glows when you touch it." She groaned. "And my hands are beginning to feel really slippery."

Ryan swallowed. "Now I know I'm not hallucinating because I've got the same feeling going through my hands, too," he agreed.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Horatio walked out of the bathroom after about an hour of attempting to wash off that substance he got on his hand. Nothing had worked to try and get it off. He walked back to the evidence lab when…

"Horatio? You got a minute?"

He looked up with those calm, yet piercing, blue eyes and saw a man, around his age, staring at him expectantly. "Actually, I do."

When he walked over to his 'companion,' he raised an eyebrow. "Rick. It's been a while."

IAB Sergeant Rick Stetler nodded. It had been about a good six months since the ever-bitter enemies had seen each other. He nodded. "Only a little while."

"What brings you here to the lab?"

Rick pointed his head towards the door. "Could we go into the hallway for a minute?"

Horatio nodded.

When they were finally out in the hallway, where no one could actually see them,Rick suddenly turned around and grabbed him by the throat and thrust him into the wall. Horatio raised an eyebrow. "This is a little dark even for you, Rick."

He glared at Horatio malevolently. "You know nothing of darkness, Caine. You will know nothing of the hell that is about to come down upon this city."

The lieutenant looked down at Rick's hand. It now had various black markings all over it, and it looked just as pretty as the black markings that were now appearing on his face. He looked into his eyes. "What's gong on here, Rick?"

"A simple chemical is what. It changed me forever. Just like it's going to change you and your entire team. You'll be a freak for all eternity." He finally released him. "Be careful, Horatio. You'll be enveloped into the darkness soon, too."

"What are you talking about?"

The IAB agent only smiled and walked away, leaving Caine lost in his own thoughts.

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**_A/N:_ Nothing makes a good CSI: Miami supernatural fiction like the elements. If you haven't figured it out what Rick's is... Please review!**


	2. Horatio and Water

**_A/N:_ Congratulations to speedfanatic05 and that anonymous writer for getting Rick's element correct. Yes, it is darkness. Go figure…

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2. Horatio and Water

Calleigh saw Horatio walking out of the hallway where Rick and just left. He was rubbing his neck and looking down at his hand, like something was wrong.

Everyone in the lab thought she loved him and vice versa. It wasn't true, but she did consider him a good friend. One she could lean on when things got really bad. Why in the world did people think they were made for each other? She didn't want to even know the specifics behind the rumor.

Horatio spotted her staring out of the corner of his eye. He knew she worried about him a lot. It didn't matter really. He worried about her, too- inn a good way. He knew the pain she had gone through. Who didn't?

Calleigh wandered over to him. "How'd it go?"

He sighed. "I need to know something. That piece of evidence we found at the crime scene. Do you know of anyone else that touched it?"

She looked down at her feet, but didn't say anything.

"All right. Who did?"

"I know Ryan and I did. Unless Eric and Natalia are examining it right now…"

He growled softly. "I thought I told Frank to not let anyone touch it."

Calleigh raised an eyebrow. "Weird. I didn't see him there. It was only Alexx." She gasped. "Your hands!"

He sighed. "What's wrong with my… OH, MY GOD." Blue streaks were now appearing all over his hands- teal and navy blue. The markings were as similar as Rick's. He bit his lip. "This is not good. Rick had the same thing happen to him."

"As in the IAB agent?"

Horatio clenched his fist. A distant explosion was heard. Calleigh furrowed her brow. "What was that?"

Dan Cooper ran from the bathroom, eyes wide with fear. "It's flooding. It's flooding!"

Horatio grabbed his arm. "What is, Dan?"

"The bathroom! I was washing my hands, and the sink exploded!"

He was running for the flood before Calleigh Duquesne had to a chance to even voice her opinion.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

This is how it feels to be Lieutenant Horatio Caine right now.

You don't remember going to the bathroom and watching in horror as the water rises.

You don't remember stopping the flow of it when your hands were glowing that eerie blue color, thrusting them in front of you, and yelling at the top of your lungs.

You do remember seeing a transparent figure in front of you that looked like a person from the pat. Someone that you know and love.

You remember some words you told Rick after catching that Henry Darius guy, that psycho serial killer…

-----

_You smile and adjust your stance internally and externally. Your enemy just asked you about why you're a murder suspect in a case from New York._

"_Okay, Rick, I'll tell you._

"_In an attempt to save my mother's life, I intervened on a situation, and her killer wound up dead."_

_-----_

The figure is smiling at you. She has long hair, blue eyes, and a radiant smile. "Horatio?"

You can only seem to get out one word.

"Mom?"

She nods. "In a way, yes. A spirit that comes to you when you discover your elemental powers."

Your mouth drops open. "P…powers?"

"Indeed, my son. When you touched that chemical at the crime scene…" She sighs. "…that was no ordinary chemical. It's called Eleminium- a liquid that no human has found for the past one thousand years. Every few thousand, a group of humans discover this precious substance baby some means. That man you encountered, Rick Stetler…" Here, her voice grows bitter. "…he touched the chemical first. He also had the opportunity to have the first choice of elements. Of course, he wanted power, so I gave him darkness. Yet, I was another figure to him. How foolish I was to give him that."

By now, there is nothing that you can say. That murder investigation now means nothing. It's the least of your problems. Rick has the power over darkness.

But you've got a question.

'Mom' smiles and nods.

"Do you mean, I can control water anywhere?"

"Yes."

Your world is a blur right now.

This is how it feels to be Lieutenant Horatio Caine right now.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Horatio couldn't say whether he was more shocked by the fact he could now control water or he had seen his deceased mother.

It didn't matter, though.

Miami was going to get a lot stranger…

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**_A/N:_ I could see Horatio taking control of water. It seems so appropriate for him. Please review! Thanks!**


	3. Examining the Evidence

**_A/N:_ I really need to apologize for getting this up late. Much thanks to my reviewers who read this.

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3. Examining the Evidence

Calleigh sighed and watched Horatio come out of the bathroom. "How bad was the-"

She stopped in mid-sentence. He was staring down at his hands in awe, as if they were holding some sort of mystical power in them. They were decorated with strange markings all over them in a teal-blue color. He was shaking and staring back at where Rick Stetler had just left. She frowned. "Horatio? Are you okay?"

He didn't even hear her. "The power over water? I can deal with saving Miami from robbers and murderers, but saving Miami from Rick? Is that even possible?"

She tapped him on the shoulder. "Hello? Earth to my boss."

He turned around. "Calleigh. I need to tell you something."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Natalia looked at the glass, feeling it slip through her hands. She glanced over at Eric, who was busily trying to wash his hands and wait for the data to finish printing out. "How much soap have you used?"

"Half a bottle," he replied. "And it still hasn't come off yet."

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "So, who else decided to touch the haunted glass of doom?"

"I know H. did. So did Calleigh, me, Alexx, you, Ryan… I think Rick Stetler did, too." He frowned. "Wait a second. How did Stetler touch the glass before we even got to the crime scene?"

She shrugged, taking the results from the printer. She looked confused. "Judging by the data on the sheet, it says that the chemical on the glass is unknown to anything on this earth. How can that even be, though?"

Eric furrowed his brow. "Let's see what we know. They found the lady clutching the glass like no tomorrow. When Horatio touched it, the glass caused his hands to turn blue. Ryan's turned white, Calleigh's yellow, mine red, yours brown, and Alexx's purple." Eric looked disturbed. "Something's going on here."

Natalia looked nervous.

"I just don't know what it is."

"None of us do. That's why we're CSIs. We discover the truth of what happened."

Calleigh wandered in, looking somewhat distraught. Eric glanced at her, his face immediately turning to one of concern. "What happened?"

She took a deep breath. "I think Horatio has lost it," she replied in a hoarse whisper.

"Let me guess," Natalia surmised. "It has something to do with the glass we found at the scene. His hands are blue. Something had to do with that." She sighed. "We looked at the data that came back from the glass. None of the components are found from this earth, and if they are, it must be something not even on the periodic table."

"He has the power over water."

Eric blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Horatio has the power over water," Calleigh repeated. "That's what he just told me." Her eyes were spilling out with yellow tears. "I don't know how he got that, but I know something is going on with him. He muttered on how everyone else who touched the liquid might have different powers, too."

Eric and Natalia looked at each other worriedly. "We kind of touched the glass, too."

Ryan walked into the lab. "Get anything off the evidence?"

They all turned around and stared at him. Eric wore a look of annoyed worry. "Did you not hear a word that anyone said?"

"Hey, I just work here," he insisted. "I also just entered the room, for your information."

Calleigh wiped her eyes. "We think we found something to do with the chemical in the glass that the girl was holding in her hand during the murder. We haven't even gone back to the house yet, and we find out that Horatio has the power to control water."

Ryan frowned. "Did you find anything else at the scene yet?"

"If you want, Mr. Obvious, we can go there right now and see what we can find."

He rolled his eyes. "Why are you in a bad mood? Didn't get enough 'Delko time'?"

Eric moved towards him threateningly. "Oh, now you've done it, Wolfe. Into the Hummer. Now."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Horatio looked at a glass of water that Valera was holding. He put his hand out at it tentatively. The water began to move, and then slowly rise into the air. She shrieked and noticed Horatio, staring at her, utmost concentration on his face. "What is going on with my water?!"

He sighed and the water splashed onto the floor. "Remember the glass that was being processed in the lab?"

She nodded. "What about it?"

"I think it gave me the ability to control water. The chemical inside the glass, I mean."

She raised an eyebrow. "Could that possibly happen? I mean, it's not like the motto here is 'believe the supernatural.'"

Horatio waved his hand. The water on the floor began to rise, much to her chagrin. "I'm beginning to believe we might have to change our motto, ma'am."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Calleigh sighed and watched the famed detectives run out to the car, Natalia beside her. "I'm beginning to believe that there are about to be strange things happening in the lab."

Natalia furrowed her brow. Well, if what you say is true, then the team should probably have powers similar to that of Horatio's. What would you say to that?"

She simply shook her head. "I don't know, Natalia. I think I just work here."

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**_A/N:_ Please review! I'm sorry it took so long to get out the next chapter. I'll get it out as soon as I get three reviews! Much thanks!**


	4. Calleigh and Light

**_A/N:_ This was the one chapter that gave me quite a number of problems beforehand. So sorry about the hold up. Chapters will now be coming hopefully faster!

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4. Calleigh and Light

Dan sat in the A.V. lab, fiddling around with his sound system unit. There wasn't very much technology involved in the new case having to deal with Erin, but that was okay with him right now. He hadn't had a break in six days, working day in and day out with other cases that had been thrown at him from every angle.

Calleigh walked in and sighed. She was staring down at her yellow hands. She noted Dan's questioning look and smiled tiredly in his direction. "Hey."

"What's with the creepy glowing hands?"

She shrugged. "I honestly have no idea. I do know, though, that our boss apparently has the power to control water now. He's saying that whoever touched the glass could possibly have the power of an element or something in their system."

Dan looked mildly interested at this. "Really? You're only the twelfth person to tell me that." He tilted his head. "So, do you think it's haunted?"

She frowned. "I don't know. Something just seems wrong about that. About the science of it, I mean."

"There really isn't much science in the supernatural," he replied.

"Good point."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Ryan glared at Eric. "Someone didn't take a happy pill this morning."

"You brought up 'Delko time' again," his friend replied quietly. "What did I tell you about that before, Wolfe?"

He was actually kind of surprised. The CSI: expected from his best friend and coworker, who was kind of considered his mentor, too. Eric rarely got fired up with his best friend, but when 'Delko time' was brought up, he would nearly blow up at the sound of it. Mainly because of Marisol.

The two sat in the Hummer for some time. Finally, Ryan mustered up some courage and muttered an apologetic "Sorry, Eric."

He shook his head and smiled. "Yeah. Me, too. I should've realized that you came into the room at the time"

Ryan grinned back. "Nah. You're fine."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"…and yet, we believe we are descendents of Adam and Eve," she finished, sitting on the table next to Dan.

The man hadn't heard a word that Calleigh had been rambling for the past five minutes. He couldn't help it- something had drastically changed the look of her. Her arms now had the strange yellow markings up and down and across, but it was something else that caught his eyes. There was something much more significant about her physique that awed him to no end.

Calleigh Duquesne had six large seraph wings protruding from her back. They were a pure golden yellow that seemed to engulf her whole body. The feathers looked very fluffy.

"Dan?"

Her concerned voice came out of nowhere. He blinked and saw her staring at him, a worried look on her face. "You okay?"

He shook his head. "Not exactly. You should go look inn a mirror."

She frowned. ''How come?"

"Just trust me, okay?"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

This is how it feels to be Detective Calleigh Duquesne right now.

You don't remember walking out of the A.V. lab.

You don't remember having practically every single person inn the building stare at you as you walk to the bathroom. They're whispering fearful things and pointing at you with fearful glint in their eyes.

That gets you a little worried.

You remember going into the bathroom and looking in the mirror at yourself, just as Dan asked. Your eyes widen as you see the large yellow angel wings coming out of your back. The yellow markings that were once on your hands are now all the way up to your arms. You don't believe this for a split second.

Then he appeared.

John Hagen.

Now you know something is really off.

He smiles at you. "Calleigh."

You look at him. "John?"

He sighs. "I don't have much time to be here, so I'm going to cut to the chase. You have the power over light because of that glass you touched. The same thing goes for all your friends, except they have different powers. I mean, as in the elements of water, fire, earth, air, light, and darkness. There's another one, too, but the council forbade me to give it out. Anyways…" He looks really serious. "Calleigh, something bad is going to happen. And you're a part of it. I don't know what's going to happen. None of us do. All we know is that it involves the light and the darkness. And something else."

You blink. Power over light? Is John crazy? You laugh and shake your head. "Nice work, John."

He frowns.

You smile. "I can't have power over light."

"But you do," he tells you. "You already know Horatio has the power over water. He can form tsunamis and thunderstorm at will now. You can summon angels and use your wings. You are light, Calleigh."

By now, you know John isn't joking. At all.

This is how it feels to be Detective Calleigh Duquesne right now.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Calleigh simply stared in the mirror for a long time. Her life was now that of the light?

She didn't know what impact this would soon have on everyone. I mean everyone.

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**_A/N:_ Please review! Please!**


	5. Something in the Lab

**_A/N:_ Ode to the randomness. And no, this will not be just a light vs. dark thing. You know who you are…

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5. Something in the Lab

"I got nothing," Natalia sighed. "Nothing on this myth you told me."

Maxine Valera groaned. "There's got to be something in there about a legendary substance that hasn't been seen for a thousand years on there. I mean, come on, when was the last time you saw your boss have the ability to control water and the ballistics expert grow wings out of her back?"

Her friend looked over at her. "Calleigh has wings?"

Valera rolled her eyes. "I thought you would have noticed, of all people in the lab."

"Well, excuuuuuse me for my beliefs in the supernatural," she retorted angrily and went back to typing. "If you're so interested, why don't you go look up this info yourself, _Maxine?"_

"I told you not to call me that," the lab analyzer growled angrily.

Natalia simply stuck her tongue out and went back to work typing up any new searches for the legend. This whole thing bugged her. And the fact that Eric went on a row with her mentor, Ryan, kind of gave her the chills, too. There was something about this whole elemental thing that was seriously causing everyone to act up.

And Natalia didn't like it.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Horatio walked through the halls of the lab, contemplating ways to tell the team that they had the power of the elements running through their blood. It wasn't going to be easy, that's for sure. Especially with an IAB agent running around with the power of darkness. Oh, that was going to be fun to contend with. Sure.

"Hey, Horatio."

He turned around. Calleigh stood there, looking rather confused over something. "Remember how you said that the elements were going to be in us?"

He nodded. "Talk to me."

"I think I found out what element mine was."

The lieutenant looked mildly interested. "Really? Do you, uh, mind if I hear it?"

She smiled. Her yellow wings furrowed from her back. His jaw dropped. Calleigh nodded. "Yeah. I think it has something to do over the power of light. Something with angels and that sort of thing." She frowned. "Although I could have sworn that light wasn't exactly an element."

There was a loud crash heard in the hallway. The two looked in its direction; immediately following this, there were multiple scream erupting, then people running in their direction. Horatio looked at his coworker, and they ran to the direction of the noise.

When they entered the room, they saw… nothing. Horatio looked around. "Odd," he muttered. "I wonder what they were all yelling about."

There was a whoosh behind them. Calleigh turned around, frightened. "Horatio," she whispered. "I think there is something following us."

He clenched his teeth. "I know."

Then…

"Ah. The water and the light. Together at last. What a touching moment," a voice sneered from behind them. Horatio whirled around and saw… nothing. Again.

Calleigh's eyes narrowed. "There's something in the lab. Whatever it is, it's evil, and personally, I don't like it."

"I don't think any of us will after this," Horatio muttered in agreement. He closed his eyes. His hands began to glow the teal blue they were beginning to get accustomed to and he clenched it. The water in the room came out of the glass and began to move freely around the room. He opened them, thrust his hand forth, and…

WHAM!

Rick Stetler went flying back into the wall and rubbed his head. He glared back at the two standing there and smirked. "So you finally figured out your powers, hmmm?"

"No thanks to you," he growled lowly under his breath.

Calleigh stood there, eyes wide, mouth hanging open. "Wait. So you have the power over darkness?"

"I thought it would appear obvious," he smirked and turned to Horatio. "You've had your fun, Caine. Now it's my chance to take the lab and its glory, as well as the world. I will harness the power of darkness to its full potential, and then…" He gave them an ominous glare, one that sent shivers down Calleigh's spine. "…I will destroy all of you."

Horatio stepped in front of him. "Don't get her involved, Rick."

"I can get whomever I want involved, Horatio," he shot back. "It's not your business on who gets involved. It's the council's. And by the look of it, only two people should know about the council. Me…" He pointed to Calleigh. "…And her."

"Damnit, why can't you let it go?" he asked, getting rather ticked off.

Rick opened a portal of darkness behind him. "Because it's all a simple matter of life and death, H. No matter what, though…" He stepped in, the darkness enveloping him. "…I will find you all and take you out one by one."

Calleigh looked confused. "Rick knows about the council, too?"

Horatio looked at her. "I don't want you to worry about this, okay? I'll take care of it. Even if it is about something I don't know about."

She took his arm. "Be careful. I don't know what he could do to any of us."

He looked somewhat flustered at this. "Uh, I will do my best. Okay?"

She smiled. Even if she did know what all of this meant, she didn't want to reveal any of it yet to the others yet. She was scared of their reaction and what they would think of her destiny. They may as well have tried to prevent it. She knew they couldn't, though. Destiny had a funny way with people. Especially if your spirit told you that, oh, the _balance of life_ depended on it.

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**_A/N:_ Please review! Please!**


	6. Eric and Fire

**_A/N:_ Many thanks to my reviewers. That would be jzcprc, Wolfsong98, StoryDreamer, speedfanatic05, Lady Sichi, WyrdaWerecat, Scorpii, and foxeslove for reviewing! If this keeps up, I may have to start writing the sequels…

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6. Eric and Fire

Eric sighed. "Now what do we do?"

Ryan shrugged. "Depends. We could go back inside for a little bit and see if any one wants to go out for dinner. Besides, maybe if we take the girls somewhere, they'll forget about all this supernatural crap that we're seeing."

At that precise moment, Stetler decided to walk out of the Miami Crime Lab and look around. Something was bugging his dark powers immensely, but he had a fear of showing it in the lab. After all, he didn't need a water boy and freak with wings trying to stay on his tail all afternoon. It angered him so much that the council would give him any new info on the new element they had discovered. All he knew was the fact that it would be Alexx Wood's.

Stupid elements. He brought his fist down onto his leg.

A strange black fire began to creep towards the Hummer.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Horatio placed some of his paperwork on his desk and looked at a picture of a Columbian smiling. He sighed. It had been some time since he last saw Yelina Salas, his sister in law and her son, Ray, Jr. They'd run off to Brazil after the break-up with Rick only because of the discovery that his brother was alive.

"Why in the world are you staring at that?"

He looked up and saw the woman of his dreams smiling down on him. Horatio Caine wanted to fall over.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

He didn't even notice the dark fire coming towards the direction of the Hummer. He was singing to various songs in the truck with Wolfe. Things like "I Want You Back," "Because of You," and "Thriller."

Ryan suddenly frowned. "Hey, is it just me, or do I smell the burning of gasoline or something?"

Eric wrinkled his nose. "Yeah. I've got a whiff of it now, too. Why is that almost scary?" He opened the door out the driver side and looked around. His eyes widened. Black and red flames were licking the side of the vehicle, namely the gas tank.

Eric looked back over at Ryan. "Hurry up and get out of the car right now!"

He blinked and opened his door. "Why?"

It was all the time the diving expert needed to push the young CSI out of the Hummer before it blew up in a ball of black and red flame. Ryan watched in horror as one of his best friends seemingly burned to death in a car fire involving a colorful display of flame and light.

And yet, Eric hadn't died at all.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

This is how it feels to be underwater diving CSI Eric Delektorsky right now.

You don't remember pushing Wolfe out of the car.

You don't remember being engulfed in the flames of death and darkness.

You don't even remember the flames feeling cool to your touch, although you swear it's supposed to be a blistering hot seven hundred degrees Fahrenheit. Being in Florida during forest fire months does that sort of thing to you.

You do remember floating in the flames of doom and death and whatever your mom used to call them.

Living in Miami does that to you, too.

A girl appears in front of you. She's a couple years older than you are, long, wavy brown hair, kind and loving eyes, slender frame, a smile of life on her face. She's wearing what appears to be a white dress of sorts.

A word tumbles out of your mouth unconsciously. "Marisol?"

She smiles and nods. "It's been a while, brother."

You stare at her in awe, not noticing a scream of horror outside. "I don't get it."

She laughs slightly, sounding like a choir of angels. It's a laugh you've never heard from her before. "Oh, Eric, you never were one to really believe in the supernatural, being a Catholic and all. But that really doesn't matter now." Her face turns serious. "You're going to have to start believing in that sort of thing, Eric. You have the power over fire, like Horatio has over water, Calleigh over light, and Stetler over darkness." Her nose wrinkles in disgust here.

You look confused. "So wait. Is that why this fire isn't hurting me?" you ask, gesturing to the flames.

Marisol nods and laughs a little. "I guess so, in a sense."

There's something that has been bugging you. You look up at the transparent figure of a sister. "So, wait. Why had 'Talia been acting up?"

She bites her lip. "I can't speak about that matter. At least, not now."

You've got a sinking feeling in your stomach when she says this.

This is how it feels to be underwater diving CSI Eric Delektorsky right now.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Ryan watched in astonishment as Eric walked out of the burning vehicle with no scratches or burns of any kind on his body.

Well, not of any kind.

Eric _did_ have some red markings going up and down his arms.

And that got the young CSI a little worried about the future.

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**_A/N:_ Please review! Please!**


	7. Learning the Elements

**_A/N:_ Well, I hope you enjoy this new chapter, my friends. And thanks to Scorpii, jzcprc, StoryDreamer, WyrdaWerecat, speedfanatic05, Lady Sichi, foxeslove, and Sarabear08 for reviewing!

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7. Learning the Elements

Eric saw Ryan simply giving him a stare of the ages. He had just walked out of a car fire of red and black. It was a miracle that any normal person couldn't have though possible. It was amazing beyond anything known.

It was beyond poor Ryan's comprehension to think that the fire was a regular car fire.

Eric walked over to him and smiled. "Are you okay, man?"

He shook himself out of his daze. "Um, yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. That was a really weird fire, though. I thought you died." He looked worried. "What if we really have been cursed or something with these elemental powers?"

The diving expert sighed. "You and your curses."

Ryan simply rolled his eyes.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Yelina Salas was taking a vacation in Miami, Florida from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She had still been living in Brazil after Raymond's death. She still had to move all their things from the house, and she was actually finished packing. Although, she really did need some time away from Rio…

Horatio smiled. "Hey. You could've told me you were coming."

She shook her head. "I didn't want to cause you any trouble."

"It's not trouble for me to pick up family," he told her sincerely, picking up his papers off the desk. He finished stacking them and put them off to the side. "So, how's Rio been?"

"I've completely finished my packing for moving down here," she told him. "Ray and I are ready to move back here, but we need to find a moving company to bring our stuff down…"

Horatio looked at her mildly. "I could help."

She smiled. "No. I couldn't ask…"

"You can always ask family," he stated firmly.

She noticed his hands and raised an eyebrow. "Was something playing with Magic Markers…again?"

He sighed. "I have to tell you something."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Natalia looked over at Valera. "Anything at all?"

"Just a bunch of rumors," she mumbled back. "Nothing massively important."

Her friend sighed. "Well, let's see. Horatio has water because his hands because his hands are blue. Calleigh's light because her hands are yellow. So that means…"

"And Eric fire?"

Ryan wandered into the evidence lab, looking very fatigued, shocked, and nervous at the same time. "Something is going on Miami, and I don't know if this is a curse of the natural."

"Don't you mean _supernatural?_" Valera corrected him, and then furrowed her brow. "Did you just say Eric has the power over fire?"

He nodded. "It's a long story."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Calleigh sat in the ballistics lab, simply staring at the guns and thinking. How in the world was Stetler going to…

"Calleigh?"

Eric walked up next to her, the red streaks going up and down his arms. She frowned. "Elemental powers?"

"How'd you guess?" he asked wearily. "Fire, amazingly enough."

She snorted. "Speak for yourself. At least you aren't walking around with wings out of your back."

Eric touched them, causing her to jump slightly. "They're soft."

"_They were meant to be soft."_

Both of them blinked.

John Hagen and Marisol appeared, alongside Horatio's mother, Caroline. She frowned. _"Where is he?"_

"_With Yelina," _John sighed wearily, not actually moving his mouth, but 'speaking' telepathically. _"He might help her move back to Miami. I'll tell him the whole thing later."_ The male looked back at the baffled super powered CSIs. _"You two know about the council, right?"_

They nodded.

"_So does Stetler. Unfortunately, he's bit off more than he could possibly stuff into that big mouth of his. He knows about the new element that was discovered. NOT a good thing."_

Marisol 'sighed.' _"Not only is this a bad thing, but he's attempting to gain all the element's powers for himself."_

"Why?" Eric asked, honestly not knowing an answer.

"_Because he's crazy. Only reasonable explanation,"_ Caroline sighed.

Calleigh rubbed her head. "So what elements are left?" she asked, her wings flapping slightly, causing her to float about three inches of the ground.

Eric snapped his fingers. The paperwork on the evidence table suddenly poofed into a small fire. "There's air and earth, right?"

Marisol nodded. _"There's another one."_

"But we covered all the elements," Calleigh protested.

Caroline smiled. _"That's where you are wrong. The council knows about another person on the team who deserved something special. Alexx Woods. Her hands turned purple."_

Eric blinked. "What element could that be, though?"

John shook his head. _"It's still not the right time to be telling you guys this."_

"Then when is it?" the light asked angrily.

Marisol looked at her sadly, one causing shivers down her spine. _"I don't know if you will even find out, Ms. Duquesne. It depends on if you live that long."

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**_A/N:_ Please review! Please and thank you!**


	8. Alexx's Diagnosis

**_A/N:_ I'm doing a long thing at the end for dedications. Thanks! Oh… and meep.

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8. Alexx's Diagnosis

Horatio walked into the M.E.'s office, where Alexx stood over the body of Erin Haymaker, musing and waiting for her boss to come in and see what was up. "Got your page," he told her, seeing her expression at his arms.

"Is that..?"

"Yes," he sighed wearily. "Yes, it's from the glass, if you must ask like every other person in the building."

She nodded. "Anyways. I've been looking over Miss Haymaker now for the past eight and a half hours, and I can't seem to find a gosh darn thing wrong with her. It's weird. I would be able to figure out the COD from the weapon that may have come through her, but the weapon marking I found wasn't anything remotely close to something I've ever seen before."

The lieutenant frowned. That speech sounded more complex than his Aunt Sam's Salad of a Thousand Dreams recipe from ten years ago. "Can you possibly give me the shortened version?"

"I have never seen someone die this death from a wound I'm going to show you," she replied. She lifted Erin's hair from off her neck and pointed to a stab wound in her neck. "See that? There is no weapon that is so thin, it can leave that sort of pain to her and not only that…"

Horatio blinked. "…but she also has black markings around the wound. Almost like Rick's hand the first time I met him. Alexx, you may have discovered our killer."

"But what would his motive be?"

"The unanswered question, ma'am. The unanswered question," he replied and walked around the other side of her body. "Sword went clean through her body, huh? And more markings on the other side…"

"…mean the sword made a clean cut right through my baby here," she concluded.

Horatio nodded and walked out of the room, thinking aloud. "And someone is calling my name."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"I really wouldn't think too deep about it, Calleigh," Eric advised, giving her a sympathetic look. "We've all gotten strange old prophecies before, and it hasn't stopped us from doing our job."

She wiped her eyes, her mascara smearing. "You've never got one about your life ending sooner than you thought, huh?"

He groaned. "Come on. I'll take you out to dinner by the beach. How does that sound?"

"As long as I get to hear the rush of the waves and watch the sun set on the horizon of Miami, Florida. You know how much I enjoy all that, right?" she told him, giggling a little.

Eric smirked and took her hand. "Of course."

There was a snort from behind them. "Of course," a voice mimicked, some anger hidden in the voice. "No one still cares for Ryan, do they? They don't care about the fact that I've loved you for who knows how long, huh, Calleigh Duquesne? No one cares about that, do they? Whatever happened to courtesy?"

She gasped and turned around, seeing herself face-to-face with a very angry Ryan Wolfe. "What's with you?"

"You always hang around with Eric! Did you ever once consider my feelings for you, or did these thoughts completely skip out of your head because you're on a mental honeymoon with Delko?"

Calleigh's face turned a very deep pink- which is technically red. "Shut up."

Ryan's face matched her hue. "Oh, yeah. You must have forgotten. _I DON'T HAVE WINGS OR CAN PLAY WITH FIRE OR CREATE MASSIVE TSUNAMIS!_ I'm so freakin' stressed about how this may turn out that I'm don't… for god's sake, I don't think Horatio even knows how bad this will turn out, and here you two are, going off to dinner together, acting like there's not a care in the world with having big yellow wings protruding out of your back! Am I missing something here? Because if I am, please don't hesitate to tell me!!!"

He stormed off, leaving a very stunned Eric Delko and Calleigh in his wake. "Have you ever seen him that stressed before?" he asked in a timid voice, very much unlike his own.

"Never," she replied back then walked back into the lab.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Well, it wasn't a Ryan Wolfe, but it was definitely not a good thing for Rick Stetler to be in the lab with Natalia Boa Vista.

"Excuse me, ma'am, but I am…"

She gave him a cold glare. "Excuse _me_, sir, but I am currently trying to find data on the possible murder of Erin Haymaker. If you want to loll at the computer all day, be my guest. If not, please leave right away."

"I am IAB, Miss Boa Vista."

"And I want to shave my head bald," she grumbled back and turned to the computer. "Why are you even here anyway? It's not like you have the power of darkness to scare me or something to that effect."

He smirked and snapped his fingers. There was a groan.

Natalia couldn't believe what she saw next. A large fox-like creature with three tails rose up from underneath her. It had blood-red eyes and snarling teeth, smiling at her like some sort of demon creature that Rick had just summoned from hell.

"_Llik reh won, tnavres,"_ he suddenly hissed.

The creature lunged for Natalia, and she couldn't think of anything to do but scream.

So she screamed blood murder.

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**_A/N:_ Yay! I'm so happy with this! I hope you are, too! Review, please and thank you!**


	9. Finding the Darkness

**_A/N:_ I dedicate this chapter to my reader and reviewer, speedfanatic05. I love you and your feedback! Thanks!

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9. Finding the Darkness

Eric heard a scream from inside the lab, his eyes widening. He ran into the building behind Calleigh and saw some fox-like creature jumping for Natalia. A sadistic smile was on Rick's face as he was muttering something under his breath. He opened the door and snapped his fingers to the side. The creature howled in pain as it reeled to the side of the room. Natalia stared at Eric, a petrified look in her eyes, and she scrambled under the desk.

Rick growled softly, a soft, black light forming inn his hands. An eight-foot-long sword appeared. "I will _not_ have you or any of your teammates intervene on my conquest for domination of this world."

"That's really funny, Rick," Eric retorted, eyeing the weapon warily. "You and world domination go together as well as cookies and green peas… not at all." How long had this enemy of the whole lab had these powers anyway?

The darkness raised an eyebrow. "You really are something, Eric."

Delko thought playtime was over when he called him by his first name. "Oh, why don't you just keep quiet? You're going to be for trying to take her from us."

"Now see, there's a problem with that," he replied, stroking the sword. "You've got no sort of weapon. I have an eight foot long sword that can kind of hurt or impale you from the other side of the room." He raised it, and Eric felt its steel move very slightly across his neck. He felt a shiver down his spine at how close it was.

"Ah. Fear, Eric. It is a powerful weapon in and of itself. Do I sense fear for Natalia?"

He glared over at Stetler, a reddish light now shining in his hands. Circular object were appearing in both hands, with spikes and points on the outside. They were red and white, with a touch of black for added effect. Eric knocked away the sword, twirling the one on his right hand onto his index finger. "No one really asked you what I fear."

Rick raised an eyebrow. "Intimidation, Eric Delko style. Can't say I'm not impressed. But not good enough." He suddenly waved his free hand, and three more demons arose from the ground. His eyes turned a blood red as he whispered, _"Won, ym snomed!"_

The creatures gave a very low growl and began to move closer to Eric. He grimaced.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

There were screams of "Natalia!" all over the lab. Every person in the building knew that IAB was in the building, but not in this sense. Not with nine silver fox-like tails and fox ears. Eric was stepping away from three of the demons as chaos ensued around the whole lab. Alexx came out of the M.E.'s office, having dark purple streaks all on her hands; they were beginning to slowly go up her arms. She winced, feeling a bit of pain in the arms. "Hey, Horatio!"

The lieutenant noticed her hands. "I thought you didn't touch the glass, Alexx. And what in the world is going on in here?"

"It's Rick!" she cried. "He's got Natalia in the Evidence Lab, and Eric's trying to hold off these fox things! Everyone is screaming Natalia's name- it's almost they don't even see Eric!"

More cries of "Natalia!" arose. Horatio turned around, his eyes an unusually deep shade of blue. "He's mine," he whispered and walked quickly to the parking lot.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Oh, come on," Eric grumbled. "This just stinks."

The other man grinned. _"Hsinif mih."_

Eric threw the chakarms at the beasts, which immediately spiked the creatures upon impact. The fox demons howled in agony like their counterpart that had been knocked into the glass sometime ago. Rick watched them turn to black mist in horror. "My darkness. My servants of darkness," he whispered.

The fire picked up his chakarm and gripped both of them tightly. "Aw, shut it, Rick."

His foe gave him such a vehement look he took a step backwards. The sword was now barely touching Eric's neck again, and the fiendish smile back on his face. "Dare to say that again, Eric?"

Eric's body began to glow red, flames now licking the sword. "Yes. Shut it."

Rick brought the sword into the fire and slammed him into the glass wall behind him. "I wonder if you ever learned respect for those who know a heck of a lot more than you."

"Well right now, I can't exactly think about that. You've got me angrier than I've ever felt in my life thanks to you and your evil… dark spooky ways," he finished somewhat lamely. He threw the weapon in his left hand at Stetler's head, whose instinct told him to duck. Unfortunately for him, and lucky for Eric, he received a blow to the right shoulder as Eric scored a direct hit. Stetler screamed in agony. Eric smirked.

Next thing he knew, though, he was staring into the very eyes of evil, with its red eyes of hatred, nine silver fox tails, fox hairs that bristled, _very_ sharp sword pressed up against his neck, and no smile whatsoever on his face. Eric was now pretty nervous. The darkness leaned in. "Tell him to bring the light," he whispered. "Or this place will be infested with the evil of a thousand souls." He stepped back, smiled grimly, threw open the door and left the room.

Natalia crawled out from under the desk, staring over at her friend with a tear-streaked face. "What did he mean by that?"

He stared at the former door. "I don't know, but I think it has something to do with Calleigh. I don't know who's talking about to bring Calleigh, but I can tell you that this whole elements thing really is starting to scare me now." He hugged Natalia, who just wondered what could happen next to an unprepared Miami, Florida.

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**_A/N:_ Wow, my longest chapter yet! I wish to change the name of this. Please give me suggestions! Whosever is the best, I will choose! Thanks! Review, please and thank you!**


	10. Ryan and Air

**_A/N:_ At long last, Ryan's element is revealed. Rejoice, fans. And, um… don't run me over for very slight CaRWash undertones, please. Chapter is dedicated to StoryDreamer for enjoying this story and giving me time not to push my writing.

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10. Ryan and Air 

Ryan stood in the lab lounge, thinking about everything that was going on in the lab. The elemental powers, Stetler, practically blowing up in front of his two best friends. It was hard to tell what else he was sensing about all of this. Ryan desperately wanted to be in charge of the situation, but he even knew that it was virtually impossible. Right now, though, he was curious about all the commotion in the lab. Something told him it was bad, and no one had control over it.

At that opportune moment, a transformed demon-like Rick chose to walk past the lounge, destroying practically everything in his sight by merely walking past it. Ryan watched in stunned amazement as the glass shattered in every which way around him. Now he knew something had to be done.

The young CSI: walked out of the area, his hands having familiar white streaks, but they were a snowy white. The darkness smirked. "Oh, look. The CSI with no power is going to try and stop me."

"I'm taking control of this situation," he retaliated quietly.

Here, he laughed. "That's really funny. You, who has absolutely nothing to back you up. No one even really likes you. Maybe a little bit, but no one actually loves you. Even Calleigh Duquesne is a sad little figure for you to look up to."

"I said, I am taking control of the situation," Ryan growled, putting his hand in front of him. "Now, you listen to…"

Stetler's nine tails bristled. "No, Ryan." He nearly began to growl, but he calmed himself. "Why don't you… oh, my god."

Ryan had a pair of white angel wings, measured at an eight-foot wingspan. He pointed the palm of his hand up, his arm raised. The winds began swirling around him as he yelled, "_LISTEN TO ME!" _

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

This is how it feels to be Ryan Wolfe, the 'new one', right now.

You don't remember having a massive tornado surround you.

You don't remember having the staff screaming for you and wondering if you're okay in the big swirling vortex.

You don't remember Stetler not moving towards you or your wind of doom.

You do remember the ghost figure of a man in his thirties. He's smiling and looking around the lab from the funnel he's in with you. He turns back to you. "I remember this place so well. Sure, it may have been a couple of years…"

"Who _are_ you?" you suddenly blurt out.

He smiles again. You're not sure what to make of it. Somehow, it's cocky and disarming at the same time. "It's Speedle. Tim Speedle. Most people know me in the lab as 'Speed.'"

That kind of rings a bell. "Wait. The officer that died in the line of duty because you didn't clean your firearm."

"Yep. And you're the OCD who does it every time you go to bed," he replied matter-of-factly. "But enough of that intro."

He gives you a careful, searching look.

"Ryan. When you touched that glass at Miss Haymaker's house, you gained the ability to have the ability over the element of air. It's a powerful thing to entrust to you, Air is that of which requires careful control. It's what you always have a lot of."

You take a look behind you and notice your white wings. You let out a gasp. "Wings?!"

Speed nods. "Only you and Miss Duquesne have wings. Hers are because she is, um, an angel like creature, you because you have the power over air." His face turns serious. "Listen. Stetler's a real threat to all you guys now, and Miss Natalia and Alexx don't know theirs, yet. You've gotta be wary of him. And keep Calleigh safe."

Now you are very confused.

This is how it feels to be Ryan Wolfe, the 'new one', right now.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The wind finally stopped blowing around, and Ryan landed on the ground. Stetler growled at him, fox ears bristling. Ryan stifled a laugh. "Why the heck do you have fox ears?"

"Demons have them, and so do I," he replied bluntly, landing a kick square in Ryan's chest. The young CSI: flew into a wall, knocking over a couple of filing cabinets and people. "I may have these ears, but remember that I have the power over darkness. And I can do a lot more than…"

Ryan thrust his hands out. The winds suddenly blew at Rick and pushed him back into a wall. He raised an eyebrow and looked at his hands. "Air, huh? Definitely in control."

Water suddenly splashed onto Rick as Horatio appeared, smiling and arm extended. "Would you like some help, Mr. Wolfe?"

"Please!" he replied gratefully.

Water and air glared at the darkness, who simply smirked, his hand behind him. A portal of darkness appeared behind him. He grinned. "If you want me, you have to catch me," he told them, melding with the portal behind him and disappearing.

Horatio gritted his teeth. He glanced at Ryan. "Stay here."

"What about Calleigh?"

He slipped on his sunglasses, the marking now moving up his body. "Leave that… to me." He left the lab, leaving a baffled, white-winged Ryan in his wake.

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**_A/N:_ The next chapters are going to be more action-packed than previous ones. Which means… possible Horatio-kicks-every-demon-ness! Review, please and thank you! **


	11. Sounds of the Ocean

_**A/N:**_** -muffled under pile of 22 reviews- I haven't done ANYTHING for the past five days with my stories. Seriously. No typing or writing. But I'm still hanging on. And I hope you enjoy this chapter. **

**Chapter dedication to CSIBeauty for reading my work. I've admired her work in her supernatural stuff. It's amazing.

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11. Sounds of the Ocean

Who in the world would've thought that the demon of darkness would have gone to the water's domain of the ocean? The beach was the perfect spot to have both water and darkness in their element in the first place. And Rick Stetler knew if he was going to defeat Horatio Caine at pure strength and power, he'd have to defeat him at night.

This was exactly what he was going to do.

He smiled maliciously. Miami would soon be his ground of ruling and planning, no doubt. It was simple to achieve his goal- destroy the light, control the other elements, and rule the world. It didn't sound that hard… unless the lieutenant stuck his nose where it didn't belong. This would be in his business.

A blue demon fox with nine tails appeared. "_Ti si ylraen detelpmoc, ym drol,_" he hissed.

"No one else is around, fool," he muttered.

The creature shrugged. "I never hear you speak in the Demonic tongue anymore," he replied, speaking fluent English. "Ever since that incident at Pastime's Peril…"

"I need not remember that incident," Stetler snapped, still not looking at the fox. "It is what got me into this, Rizora." His voice became softer, almost secretive. "What is the news with your host?"

"Cast me out for dead," he stated bitterly.

"And the others?"

"Making futile attempts to stay in control. Zier is nearly finished, but I believe he will live still." The blue demon looked over the calm ocean waters and smirked. "When can we strike, Lord Stetler?"

The name was growing on the dark demon human as he smiled. "Soon, my faithful servant. Soon."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

As Horatio raced to the beach, he contemplated everything that had happened so far that week. All it took to change his life forever was the simple piece of evidence from Erin Haymaker's crime scene. He touched it first, so it was kind of his fault that he had gotten the power over water in the first place.

It made him sick to his stomach as he thought about Stetler's words. He knew he as the darkness and Calleigh the light, but what did it matter? Sure, he knew both elements were opposite, but what did it matter?

He sped faster in the Hummer towards the beach, determined to solve the mystery surrounding him.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Calleigh stared out over the city from the top floor of the Miami-Dade Crime Lab. "I need to follow Horatio to the beach."

Eric's eyes widened. "Are you crazy? You're not going after the demon of darkness when H is already making a beeline for him1"

"I know what I need to do," she replied grimly. "I know my destiny. This is something I cannot avoid. I need to help the world and maybe sacrifice myself in the process. And no one is going to stop me from this decision."

Ryan glared at her. "If you go, I go. H told me to protect you."

Eric blinked. "Prote… oh, my god. Has anyone seen Natalia?"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"So you have no idea what's happening to us, what's been happening to us, or what will happen to us?" Alexx asked.

Natalia shook her head, sitting on a chair in the Medical Examiner's office. "All I know and do realize is that this whole element thing is turning us into something we may not want to become. And the sheer possibility that a war between demons and humans is coming just makes me more worried than ever before."

Alexx sighed. "All this because of some damn threat Stetler decided to make to Horatio in the hallway." She stopped, and then frowned. "Wait a second."

The other's ears perked up, too. "What is that?"

"Sounds like… the crash of the ocean waves on the beach and the clap of thunder and despair on the horizon."

"You mean, similar to that of the crash of Horatio's anger with Stetler and Stetler's fury with the warrior of water?"

The M.E. furrowed her brow. "I never really thought of it like that, but I guess so." She began to count off on her fingers. "So we've seen water, fire, light, air, darkness…"

"…but no earth," Natalia finished. "There's got to be another element, though."

The other woman shrugged. "Beats me. Although I really do hope that Horatio is going to be able to defeat the power over darkness…"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"_S'eh gnimoc!_" Rizora growled and disappeared in a portal of navy blue darkness.

Stetler smiled to himself. "Of course he is."

Horatio stopped behind Rick and stared at his archenemy, not smiling. "Rick, what is going on?" The blue streaks on his hands were now journeying up his body and neck with considerable speed, considering the fact that he got those powers a week ago.

The other man smirked. "Oh, god, Horatio. Still hung up with me?"

"Yes. Yes, I am."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

John paced back and forth through the room and finally slammed his fist into the wall. _"What the hell can we do to help him?"_

_"Nothing,"_ Marisol replied sadly. _"Horatio will need to learn what will happen when there is no light. And yet, it comes at a price."_

His mother looked worried. _"But what about…"_

Speed shuddered. _"Don't say it. We all know Horatio is about to undergo the change of a millennia, but no one has ever been through what he's going to be going through. It's going to be a living hell for him… and Miami."_ He glanced out the window and sighed. _"What I'm worried about is the prophecy…"

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_**A/N:**_** And I leave it right there for you to think about. I promise the next chapter will be out next week! Review, please and thank you!**


	12. In the Darkest Hour

_**A/N:**_** Huh. This became a big hit over a week. Or three months, depending on how you look at it. So… just a warning. Character death of the most unlikely kind.

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12. In the Darkest Hour

Horatio eyed Rick warily, hands now glowing. "What is going on?"

The darkness smiled maliciously. "If only you knew. I can tell you everything if you so desire."

He cocked his head. "I'm listening."

"You know about the light and the dark, water and fire, earth and air. Think about the possibilities this could cause, Horatio. The combination of elements! It could be absolutely limitless. Darkness and fire, water and light, earth and light… just think of it! If we could discover the ability to combine such elements, we would be invincible!"

The wielder of water was silent for a moment. He walked to the edge of the ocean and looked out over the domain where he alone was the master over it. Finally, he spoke very softly. "I don't want to do such a despicable thing as what you want, Rick. These powers were granted to us for a reason. They are not to be shared among others for a reason. I have only the power over water, not over multiple elements at the same time. You yearn for power, I for peace. I refuse to think about the possibilities."

Stetler's face soured over as Horatio glared over at him. "So be it… lieutenant." He waved his hand over the sands, and seven demons rose, ready with their tales swishing endlessly. He smirked. "I dare you to use your new powers over water, Horatio Caine. Just try to stop me!"

He grimaced. Oh, dear.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Calleigh flew to the beach, ignoring the pointing towards the sky. It seemed somewhat stupid to be using her powers in this sense, but she knew it was for good. Besides, John's prophecy made her worry dearly for the weeks and days to come…

"_They darkness hasn't won; it creates an army of demons one cannot dream of. They may be just like the elementalists. Fox-like demons of the night, the have the evils of the elements they hold. The leaders are Rizora, Zier, Yazr, Taazlin, Xalez, and Laezih._

_Only Rizora, though, could triumph over the warrior of water…"_

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

SWOOM!

The demons screamed as they receded with the tide. Horatio clenched his fist. The waves toppled endlessly on the creatures, drowning them deeper and deeper into the ocean's dark depths. Stetler smiled. Horatio could control water. This was good.

But how was his weaponry?

He thrust his hand up, the dark smoke forming. The long, black sword he had used in the lab appeared. Despite the fact that Horatio was around seven feet away, the sword touched his chest. Stetler grinned. "Not bad, Horatio. But do you really think you can defeat me?"

Horatio didn't flinch at the sword. "I can defeat you, Rick. I don't think intimidating me with your sword is going to accomplish much of anything." He smiled back. "Besides…" A sky blue mist formed around his hand as well, and a wide sword with blue cloth appeared. He brought it up in and upright position. "What makes you think _you _can defeat me?"

Stetler smirked. "Three things, Horatio."

"One: the prophecy. I already have one of the demons under my control."

'One?' he thought incredulously, but his voice said otherwise. "You mean the one you were talking to with the tails."

The other narrowed his eyes. "How did you know?"

"It was blue," he replied simply.

"Two: you have yet to believe what shall overcome this world. Darkness shall fall across the earth, and you will be the first to leave. Becoming a demon will only be the beginning of the Demonic Strife."

Horatio rolled his eyes. "Does _everything_ have to have a weird name unlike anything I've ever heard of?"

"Three…" He stepped aside. "…a crucial ally you never knew you even had is almost dead."

Horatio lowered the sword and gaped at the man. He had light brown hair, four yellow wings and white streaks all over his body, including his face. He smiled weakly. "Hey there, Horatio."

"Jake? Jake Berkley?"

Blood was coming out of the side of his mouth and the side of his body. He glanced up into H's eyes. "It's kind of late for me to be helping you now. But I need to tell you something. I am a zephyr. It's a harpy ang…" He gasped and coughed, wincing before continuing. "…angel. Actually, that would be the leader of the zephyrs, Kadaj. The creatures of light and air combined in a torture experiment by…"

Stetler's eyes narrowed as he kicked him in the face. "_Tuhs pu, Jadak"_ he hissed.

Jake looked up at him now, calm in his presence. _"On, Mihpares,"_ he whispered. "_Reven niaga lliw I netsil ot uoy."_

Horatio glared at him. "Jake. You're with him."

He shook his head wearily, his eyes filled with sorrow and pain. "We are sometimes meant to be heroes, Horatio. Our time comes when it comes. Destiny will shape you and your future. Stetler made me, or he would…" He coughed. "…he would kill you. Listen. I can help you with the council, like Speed, Joh… John…" He closed his eyes.

He felt tears coming, but he didn't care. "Jake. Come on. Jake…"

It was no use. Jake Berkley, or Kadaj, was gone.

Stetler smiled. "Oh, I'm so sorry for what happened, but…"

The water grabbed him by the legs and pulled him right off his feet. When he was on the ground, he got up and pushed him down on the chest. "This is your fault."

The other smirked. He looked at Horatio's hands, which were beginning to grow black streaks. "Getting angry?" he inquired before grabbing his throat and throwing him off.

He hit his own sword, and a surge of pain swept through him. He looked down and noticed a cut on his arm. It was bleeding.

But why was it a clear-blue liquid?

* * *

_**A/N:**_** Another cliffie with questions... and maybe controversy. Review. I will answer all I can. Please and thank you!**


	13. I See the Light

**Now then… details, details, details! The next few chapters are going to be quite long as I will be getting into more detail. With the CSIs having their appearances change and their powers really starting to take flight, things are definitely going to have to be beefed up by a long shot. So don't be surprised if this gets longer. Not by a long shot!**

_Which is good. It needs to be longer. Stupid powers. You can't ever elaborate on anything._

**I am now! Look out! Long chapter!**

* * *

13. I See the Light

It felt sickeningly disgusting to the touch, and yet watery at the same time. Was this what the elements were doing to him? They were turning him into a river or an ocean? How in the world was he supposed to save Miami if all he could do was to bleed and have absolutely no help in his conquest? Did anyone else know about Rick besides him? The nine silvery foxtails rustled slightly as Rick brushed his hand back and forth across the blade. "Face it, Horatio. You don't even know your own strength and how you could possibly hurt the earth with…"

Horatio glared up at his enemy with utmost hatred, standing up slowly. His blue streaks all over his body had stopped crawling up his neck, his suit covering up his body except his hands and neck. He picked up his sword and took a couple of deep breaths, trying to calm himself down in the best way possible. "I've had it, Rick," he interrupted. "Whatever the hell is going on here, I've had it. I'm going to get answers, even if it kills me."

"Well, it can't exactly kill you to have me around, can it?" a Southern voice sweetly asked as a blonde haired woman with large yellow wings landed next to her bleeding companion. Calleigh Duquesne pushed some of her hair out of her face, slipping her arm into Horatio's injured left arm. Her outfit had changed over the course of five minutes she had been up in the air. Instead of wearing her black skintight shirt and pants to match, she now wore a snowy white ankle length dress, strapless with frills at the bottom. Her hair was down over the location of her protruding wings. Horatio could've sworn that if he didn't know any better, Calleigh was most certainly an angel from the heavens.

Stetler growled softly and stopped stroking his katana. "What are you doing here?"

She rolled her eyes. "Destiny certainly has an odd way with…" Her eyes suddenly wandered to Jake's lifeless body at her enemy's feet, blood in the sand and whitish yellow streaks going across his arms and neck. She bolted over to his side, kneeling down next to the agent. "Jake? Jake, what happened? Wake up! Ja…"

"Calleigh," Horatio intervened hesitantly, shooting Stetler another hateful look. "Calleigh… Jake's dead."

She buried her face into his body. Horatio's heart panged with guilt. He knew that his firearms expert had a great deal of romantic relationships going on in the lab, including ones with Peter Elliot, John Hagen, and even amongst her friends Ryan and Eric. They themselves had sometimes gone out to dinner together as friends. But Jake… Jake was different. He and Calleigh seemed to have a mutual relationship _outside_ of the workforce. Perhaps that was why his death was affecting her much more than Speed's death affected her. Calleigh was difficult to decipher, though- as were her feelings.

There was a sinister laugh as Rick stared down at the being of light, a disgusted look on his face. "One death of a beloved ally you had no idea existed, and you're acting like it's already the end of the world," he snorted, his chin now resting on the hilt of the sword. "My, you're all going to be a pathetic group when I kill off one of your own, like the prophecy foretells…"

Calleigh lifted her head off of his body, glaring up at her foe. "You're not laying a finger on _anyone,_" she told him in a terrible voice, suddenly leaping to her feet and standing at his eye level, a negative energy sparking faster than a forest fire Eric could have made with his new powers.

Horatio looked at her wearily, gripping his sword tighter. "Calleigh, relax a little."

She whirled around angrily. "_Excuse me?_" she shouted. "Do you expect me to calm down when one of my best friends and confidants has died, we're getting powers unlike anything we ever knew _existed,_ and you and Stetler are holding swords?! You expect me to _relax?!_ That is not going to happen, Horatio! I'm through with standing on the sidelines! I want to take action this once! _And for once, I don't give a damn if Stetler gets hurt!_ He deserves it!"

Not a sound was heard in the air except for thunder on the horizon and the coming and receding of the waves. Horatio stood rooted on the spot. No one had ever spoken to him like that before. Actually, no one had ever heard Calleigh speak in that tone of voice before. Rick finally swallowed and took a step closer to her. "Well, then," he whispered, his voice laced with acidity and bitter anger. "If that is the way you feel about me…"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Natalia walked out of Trace and found Eric throwing paperwork onto his desk and grabbing his jacket off the hook of the chair. She frowned and hurried over to him, grabbing his hand. "Do you mind telling me where you're going in such a rush?" she asked somewhat angrily.

He glowered at her for a moment. "I've got to make sure that Calleigh's safe at the beach."

There was a snort behind them. The couple whirled around and saw Alexx staring at the two of them with her arms crossed. "Safe at the beach? Think, again, Eric."

"What do you mean?" he asked, his green eyes practically glowing with concern.

She motioned them over to a window that over looked the city. Black clouds were on the horizon, gathering like the calm before the storm. Natalia's eyes widened with shock. "Alexx, what's happening?"

"That's what I want to know," the Medical Examiner replied grimly. She looked around the office again and frowned, her brow furrowing even deeper. "Speaking of wanting to know things, where in the world has Ryan run off to?"

Natalia clapped her hands over her mouth in despair. "Horatio made him protect Calleigh wherever she went, and I heard something but her going off to the beach. Oh, my god." Her face paled even further. "And if I'm right, Stetler's there with Horatio and destiny…" She swallowed. "Something about destiny will be fulfilled."

Eric slapped his head. He knew it was in Wolfe's nature to be impulsive and run after Calleigh, even if he was attached to her like a dog. Wolfe was becoming more impulsive these past couple of days, after Horatio got his powers some week ago. How in the world was he supposed to stop one of his best friends from going after his mentor who trained him to be a great CSI? He looked out the window some more. "There's only one thing we can do," he told them, watching their anxious faces.

Alexx sighed. "I'm open to suggestions."

"We've got to go to the beach. We've got to go after him."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Calleigh was thrown back against the sand wall, panting as Rick smiled sadistically. "As you can see," he told her carelessly," you are nothing without the help of your friends. You try to take me single-handedly, but you fail. You have no help at all. And no one ever takes my advice."

Horatio rushed to her side, dropping his sword by her. He gingerly picked her up, in which she roughly pushed him away. "I'm fine," she whispered, brushing her hair out of her face, feeling a strange liquid substance come off her forehead. She looked down and frowned. It was a yellowish shine. Horatio studied it. She sighed. "Maybe you can tell me what this is."

"It's blood," he replied, his leadership instincts kicking in. He took his sleeve and wiped it off of her, a concerned look in his eyes. "Calleigh, he's powerful. You shouldn't be reckless like that."

She laughed sadly. "More powerful than me?"

There was a roar from behind them. Horatio threw himself between Calleigh and whatever was advancing to them. He turned around and noticed ten demons running at them on four legs. They were silver, with nine swishing tails, emerald green eyes, and gleaming white teeth. He picked up his sword and brought it right through six of them. There was a deathly scream as the fox demons disappeared in a wisp of black smoke. The other four growled and began advancing slowly to the master of water and mistress of light. Horatio's jaw tightened. "I suggest you run," he told Calleigh in a low voice.

She stood up from behind him and shook her head, coming beside her friend and boss. "I'm finished trying to work by myself," she told him. "This time, I'm helping you." She brought her arm down in a quick downward motion. Immediately, a light shone down from the sky, and five winged-like being flew down with unnatural grace. Horatio shielded his eyes. They had yellow wings, six of them, and wore white robes. They were no particular gender- both male and female.

Horatio gaped at them. "Calleigh," he breathed. "Are… are those what I think they are?"

She could only nod. She pointed to the other demon-foxes. "_Ereht!_" she cried. "_Kcatta meht won!"_

The angels nodded and pulled out what appeared to be bows and arrows from the heavens. They strung them together and took careful aim at the foxes, releasing only when their aim was precise. The arrows hit their mark head on, right into their sides. There were for more screams, and they too disappeared in a wisp of smoke. Horatio could only stare at his bullet girl. She could summon angels from the heavens? That was… something beyond his comprehension. "You… you speak that language, too?" he managed to get out.

She whirled around and looked at Horatio, terrified. "I don't know!" she cried. "Something came over me and…"

"…and wow," Stetler finished.

The two heroes just looked over at him.

"Bravo, encore, amazing," Rick told her sarcastically. "You summoned angels. _It's part of your freakin' duty!_ That's one of your powers, dim bulb. Apparently, John forgot to tell you that little news flash." He pulled his katana back up and pointed it at the two. "Oh, well. Back to business."

Horatio held his sword in one hand. "What business?"

Rick's lower lip curled into a sneer. "The business of killing you both."

Calleigh's hands began to glow a light yellow, and a moment later, two double barreled guns morphed into her hands, already loaded and prepared for test fire. She simply blinked and glanced at Horatio. "I'm dreaming. I'm seriously dreaming, right?" she questioned, staring down at her weapons.

Horatio smiled. "Well, now, isn't that a shock, Miss Duquesne? Guns."

With this, the newly revived duo began a ferocious attack on Rick, who suddenly lost his smile and began to attempt to block the blows in which they gave him. Calleigh began to repeatedly shoot bullets at him, only pausing every five seconds after her shots were out to reload with her light abilities and continue shooting at the darkness. Horatio swung at Rick with all he could muster, clashing every so often with him. Rick raised an eyebrow. "If I didn't know any better, I'd swear you were honestly trying to kill me."

"True," replied Horatio savagely, landing a fist in his face.

Rick glanced over at Calleigh, who was paused for a moment in mid-air, reloading again. He smirked and kicked one of her guns out of her hand. She gasped in pain and tried to shoot at him with the other gun, but a large, silvery, and bushy tail lashed out and whipped away her other gun. She yelled out in pain and fell to the sand, standing back up as quickly as she could.

Rick whirled around and brought his katana straight into her stomach. Her eyes suddenly widened and she looked down in stunned amazement.

Horatio screamed.

Thunder boomed even louder, but Rick never took his sword out of his target.

* * *

**You know what, Zeohyr? You SUCK!**

_It's a long chapter. I like it._

**You KILLED someone!**

_**Reviews are loved, as always!**_


	14. Last Awakening

**The response we received for Calleigh's death was so... amazing.**

_Utter chaos and speculations? Oh, god. We've already decided on two sequel after this story._

**Zephyr and I love you all! An unfortunately, this is the last chapter before the epilogue!**

_That stinks. And many thanks to StoryDreamer, speedfanatic05, Mac's Girl, Queen Sunstar, charming301, kitsune, clairec12344, Ad Hominem Argument, Scorpii, Sarabear08, garoda, C.H.E.A.R., and Emerald124 for reviewing. It helps us._

* * *

14. Last Awakening

No other noise could be heard except Horatio's scream of horror as Ryan Wolfe flew faster towards the beach. Something told him a tragedy had fallen on the city as the storm clouds off the coast of Miami begin to move inland much more quickly. The young CSI had a sort of sixth sense in him after touching that glass. It was an eerie sort of feeling as his large, angelic white wings carried him to the scene of the new crime.

Ryan only hoped it had nothing to do with Calleigh Duquesne, newfound angel of light.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Stetler snickered, enjoying the voice of Horatio carry off the beach like a roll of thunder. Calleigh's eyes looked down at the sword going through her body and opened her mouth. No sound came out. She tried to say something again... and again. Still, nothing. He smirked. "I would save your breath," he advised. "You might actually live longer."

With that said and done, he yanked the sword out of the light.

It was like a slow motion moment in the _Matrix._ Calleigh seemed to fall at a quarter of the speed of time. Horatio felt like he was running the last leg of a marathon, putting his hands out and catching her in his arms. Yellowish, shiny blood poured out of her wound her head now lolling to one side. Horatio could feel it seeping into his clothing. 'That bastard,' he thought thickly, his vision fogging. 'That sick and twisted bastard.'

Meanwhile, Rick was wiping her blood off the katana, readying it for further use. He looked at Horatio and sighed. "Loss begins something new, Horatio. We learn from it, embrace it..."

"And take it by the throat and throttle it," Horatio finished in a deadly tone, his deep blue eyes shooting daggers at the darkness. "Namely, you."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Eric suddenly dropped to the floor in the crime lab, clutching his arm, which was shining a bright blood red. Natalia rushed over to him, wincing as well. Oddly enough, her earth brown mark was hurting, too. "Eric, are you okay?"

He nodded, grimacing. "It almost feels like someone- or something- went through a lot of pain." Natalia helped him up from the floor. "God, that hurts."

"Like death."

The duo blinked at Alexx's sad choice of words.

"The only other time I've felt this much pain is when my mother died. I felt as if I was never going to be happy again. But I had to be strong for my siblings," the medical examiner continued. "Now I feel as if another brush with death has taken the life of another person I know and trust. I hate it." The purple mark glowed brightly, her eyes tearing up. "I hate it so much."

Natalia swallowed. "Alexx?"

She closed her eyes. "It's Calleigh."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Ryan felt Death's touch, too, as he squinted and spotted Horatio, Stetler, and...

"Calleigh!" he whispered, urging his wings to beat faster and faster. Maybe this was the horrible feeling he had felt on his way there. His feet touched sandy ground moments later, and he rushed over to find the one he loved lying limply in the sand. Ryan felt no pulse as he felt all around her body.

Horatio's whisper seemed abnormally loud in his ears. "She's dead, Ryan."

His first thoughts were of memories he had with her- cases they worked on together, friendship outings, even late-night celebration dinners at Burger King. Then sadness, anger... and hate. Pure, unfiltered, unadulterated hate. The air whipped his head and glared at the darkness, who seemed to be shaking with glee at the sight of the young CSI's face. All he needed was an invitation.

And evil gave him one.

"What are you waiting for, Ryan?"

Ryan's hands shot out to his sides, his white markings glowing brightly. Six decoratively shaped spears, all with strange, curved shape points, appeared. He kept his eyes on Stetler, who readied himself. Ryan nodded in response to the question. "I'm only waiting... for the right moment." He smacked his hands together. One of the spears slashed at the darkness, who smacked it away with his katana. That was all the air needed. With a roar of frustration and anger, Ryan's hand swept itself across the sands. Instantly, the wind picked up speed, going from a balmy five miles an hour to a hair-raising seventy-four miles per hour.

Stetler hated this turn of events. A lot.

Ryan smiled and sent two more spears in his direction. "Not so hot with your darkness now, huh?" he smirked. He only waited for Stetler to make another move. The young CSI felt as if he could do anything with his powers- including defeating this demon from hell.

"Actually," the darkness replied calmly, swinging away. "I am _more _confident than I was before." He leapt up and did a mid-air flip, bringing his sword into the ground. A strange black energy tore through the winds and crashed itself into the semi-hurricane... along with Ryan Wolfe himself.

Ryan's eyes widened as he felt the dark wave slam into him. This feeling of... evil, pain, despair, love for... He rolled his eyes. Love for Detective Salas. Go figure. He hit the wall of sand about thirty feet away from where he last stood, feeling nothing but pain. And darkness.

His whole world went black.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Something was ringing in Horatio's ears.

He had never seen anything like Ryan Wolfe's passion for dismantling evil's twisted darkness. Shoot, he had never seen someone wield the power over air as gracefully as Yelina Salas on the ballroom floor. And that was saying something. He got up off the sand, using his sword for leverage, and faced a nine tailed, silver fox-eared Stetler, who grinned again. "What's the matter, H? No one-liners?"

"First off," Caine told him calmly. "No, I have no one-liners to shoot off at you. You're not worthy enough to get one. And secondly..." He brought his sword up and slammed it down into Stetler's. "...no one, and I mean _no one,_ calls me 'H' except for close friends. And from what I can tell and remember, you are _not_ a close friend, Rick."

Stetler's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Silence, traitor."

Horatio's eyes widened as the darkness pulled away and slammed him up into the air. He was falling for the water, and fast. Thinking quickly, he closed his eyes and aimed his hand towards the ocean. A ten foot wave roared from the seas, and the lieutenant landed on his feet... right on the wave's perch. He opened his eyes. 'I should be getting used to this,' he thought.

The darkness rose into the air unnaturally, his sword now gone. He looked down at the beach below him and smiled. _"Dnecsa morf no hgih,"_ he spoke aloud, "_dna ekat kcab tahw si sruoy, ym nerdlihc."_ His hand was in front of him, a strange black aura surrounding it. He glanced at Horatio, who looked positively stunned. "I'll deal with you later."

With that, he disappeared into darkness.

Horatio jumped down from the wave. Why did he understand what Rick said that time? "Ascend from on high?" he muttered.

The sand began to move. Horatio readied his sword. 'Oh, crap.'

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Natalia glanced out the windows of the lab. Tears stung her eyes, but she couldn't have cared less. "I still don't understand, Alexx. How do you know if Calleigh is dead or not?"

Alexx shook her head. "Like I said the past four times, I don't know. It's like an intuition came with these markings for me. I've got no idea what these powers are, but somehow, I know this comes with it. This ability to feel death."

Suddenly, Valera burst into the room, gasping for breath and trying to speak. Eric looked at her. "Valera. Are you okay?"

Finally, she yelled at the top of her lungs, "The demons are coming, the demons are coming!"

Natalia's eyes widened. "Demons?" Eric, Alexx, and she bolted down the stairway and out the front door. She gasped. "Oh, my god."

Thousands of fox demons, all silver and black, were growling at the trio, who stood horrorstruck in the doorway. They began to advance towards them when Eric thrust himself in front of the two women. The fiery red chakarm appeared. "I think this is bad."

All three of them knew 'bad' was an understatement.

* * *

**Sort of anticlimactic, huh?**

_It leaves questions, an epilogue, and some Review Awards. And eight other stories._

**EIGHT? -thinks- And with four of them New York...**

**_Wow. The final chapter is nearly upon us- the epilogue. Please review! It's our muse! Much love, gang!_**


	15. Interlude: Another Side

**All right, gang. It's here. The big epilogue in the finale of the first story for "Heroes." **

_It really is hard to believe we started this thing in February. Six months of waiting and reviewing, and we've got a whopping 155 reviews. Damn. That's awesome. _

**We'll get to the awards later. True thanks go out to clairec12344, Ad Hominem Argument, StoryDreamer, speedfanatic05, Emerald124. kitsune, Scorpii, Queen Sunstar, and abbyqueenofcaff-pow. We owe you all immensely. **

_VERY special thanks to speedfanatic05, who gave us our 150th review. That's just so… amazing. Never thought it possible._

_

* * *

_

15. Interlude: Another Side…

The demons growled at Horatio, who held his sword now in a very calm manner. So what if Stetler decided to ditch him and leave his remains to the demons that he summoned. That would be just fine with him. In fact, he wouldn't need to face the darkness right now. He'd be facing one thousand or more creatures of Stetler. And that was the same as meeting him face to face.

'I hope you can hear thoughts, Stetler,' Horatio thought grimly. 'The next time we meet won't be easy. I'm going to make sure of that.'

He took a step towards the demons, which immediately surrounded him, and he found himself lost in the abyss of tails, teeth, and darkness.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"You can't fight these things all by yourself!" Natalia howled angrily, observing Eric about to go into the parking lot. "That's just insane! No backup whatsoever, Ryan missing, none of us in this lab right now having any powers! Good god, Eric, you're not Superman!"

"He might not be," a familiar weary voice replied, "and neither am I. But I bet we could face them together while you girls go and take shelter." White wings appeared, and Ryan stood next to Eric, his spears out and ready.

The fire glanced at the air. "Wolfe?"

Something in Ryan's voice cracked. "She's dead, Eric. And apparently, so is Agent Berkley."

That was all the motivation Eric Delko and Ryan Wolfe needed before sprinting off into the parking lot, preparing for impending doom… or impending victory. As Natalia and Alexx rushed back inside and bolted the doors, a war seemingly erupted outside. It was all the women CSIs could do as they watched their fellow teammates fight what appeared to be a losing battle.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

John shook his head, giving Calleigh her already steaming cup of coffee. _"The prophecy came true much too soon,"_ he told her, sitting down himself and snapping his fingers. A light came on the room as Marisol made dinner, Caroline anxiously watching her son do battle, and Speed… well, time of all times, Speed was taking a much-needed nap.

Calleigh looked confused. _"Prophecy, John?" _

He sighed. _"There was a prophecy that foretold of the death of the light near the end of a winning battle. All would practically fall and mourn for her death, and all would get back up again. Unfortunately, Stetler created a twist in the whole equation. We understand Horatio's love and care he has for other people, but the one he has for you is especially stong. He hates Stetler with a livid passion." _

_"Not to say he didn't like him before he killed you,"_ Marisol called from the kitchen. _"But it's gone beyond that level now." _

_"How so?" _

John's words tore through her like a knife slicing butter. _"He's going to become a demon, Calleigh. A full-fledged water demon. If that happens, the world will be lost. Forever." _

Her eyes widened. _"We've got to do something!" _

_"The only way that can happen is if Alexx and Natalia find their powers in time,"_ John told her grimly.

The light gripped her coffee mug. _"What about Alexx? I overheard her getting a new element."_

John smiled. _"Here. I'll tell it to you…"_

_

* * *

_

**Aaaaaaah! How can you leave such a good cliffhanger?! **

_It will make people come back for the sequel. But enough of that. Time to hand out some review awards._

_First, to StoryDreamer: The "Take Your Time Updating" award! Thanks for never pushing up to update our chapters. Otherwise, this story wouldn't have been as good as WE thought it was. The ideas began to clear up and make way for something, hopefully, amazing. _

**Second, to Scorpii: The "Amazing, Brilliant, Wow!" award! Every time they review, they gave us a "wow," "this is amazing!", or a "brilliant!" review. It always had one of those words in it. I guess they really loved it! Thank you so much! **

_Third, to Ad Hominem Argument: The "Helpfully Criticize and Make Better" award. Those last few chapters were because of her constructive PM and reviews, allowing for a more detailed chapter 13-14. That's what I like: something that doesn't make us feel bad, just ways to improve our technique. We owe you one. _

**Fourth, to Queen Sunstar: The "Jump Right In" award! Even though you came in at the middle of the story, you caught on very quickly and began to leave reviews! That's saying something, when you read the whole story and review in the chapter you are in! Thanks a billion! **

_Finally… is there a speedfanatic05 in the room? 'Cause I would love to give her the "Best Reviewer" award. You've been with us through this long and hard and amazing story to what became an amazing work of art. Reviewing every chapter, giving us something to truly look forward to in a review. Kudos to you! BIG TIME. –claps and hands her bag of cookies, chips, and cake-_

**_And finally… we truly give thanks to the following people who have reviewed, made our story favorited, and alerted: _**

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**_As of right now, we have 5832 hits, 16 favorites, and 24 alerts. And your review is only going to help THAT list go up. The next story will be posted tomorrow! _**

**_Well, that's it, gang. WE LOVE YOU! _**

**_Over and out,  
_Shiny **& _Zephyr _


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